Arran cut off from mainland by faulty ferries Glen Sannox and Caledonian Isles and bad weather
All three routes to Clyde island suspended on Tuesday
Arran was cut off from the Scottish mainland on Tuesday afternoon after a combination of faulty ferries and bad weather halted all three routes to the island.
CalMac’s year-old ferry Glen Sannox hit a new problem which has kept it out of service on the Troon-Brodick route since Monday, while weather restrictions placed on its ageing vessel Caledonian Isles have prevented it from operating between Ardrossan and Brodick this week.
The engine fault on Glen Sannox developed just a week after the vessel returned to service following three months of other repairs.
The restrictions on the 32-year-old Caledonian Isles follow repairs to its propulsion system and an unprecedented 20-month absence from service to allow for major work, which was completed last September.
Meanwhile, strong winds forced CalMac to cancel sailings between Lochranza on the island and Tarbert in Kintyre, after initially diverting them from the normal shorter route to Claonaig because of “adverse weather and swell conditions”.
The Alfred catamaran, which has been chartered from Orkney operator Pentland Ferries as a second vessel on the Troon-Brodick route, is out of service for its annual refit.
One Arran resident told The Scotsman: “It does seem ridiculous that CalMac have allowed two ‘broken’ ferries to return to a lifeline route in the run up to Easter”.
CalMac said Glen Sannox had a problem with the “oil mist detection system” for the port [left] main engine.
It had said on Monday that spare parts had been sourced which were en route to the vessel for fitting and testing.
However, the operator said the fault had not been resolved during sea trials on Tuesday morning.
Its spokesperson said: “The Ardrossan-Brodick service operated by Caledonian Isles is cancelled today due to poor weather.
“The vessel is at Inchgreen dock in Greenock for safe berthing, but is expected to return to service tomorrow (Wednesday).
“Glen Sannox is also off service due to an ongoing issue with the oil mist detector for the port main engine sounding sporadically.
“Work to fix this is ongoing and an update about Wednesday’s service will be issued on Tuesday evening.
“Due to adverse weather, Catriona’s final sailing today will be at 1pm sailing from Tarbert to Lochranza.
“We are sorry for the disruption to Arran services today and will keep the community and customers informed about any further developments.”
Glen Sannox, which entered service in January last year, six-and-a-half years late and four times over budget, has spent a quarter of its operational life out of action with a series of faults which are expected to cost £3.2 million.
These include vibration caused by its propellers which will have to be replaced after that led to a crack in the hull.
In addition, investigations are continuing into why the ship’s cooling system became contaminated with sludge.
The extensive cleaning operation required accounted for much of its three-month lay up which extended its annual month-long refit in November until last week.
Bill Calderwood, secretary of the official Arran ferry Committee, which represents passengers, said: “These incidents have been running for several years now with clear negative impact to our residents’ ability to plan their lives, with stress levels increasing and significant ongoing damage to our economy.
“Residents are missing vital health appointments and contractors question the viability of serving the island.
“No one can have any confidence when planning travel. These uncertainties cannot continue.
“We accept weather is unavoidable but the quality of repairs and servicing that appears to be deteriorating the service must be improved.”
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